Apple announces iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with new imaging features

Last week saw a slew of new Android and Windows Phone devices launched at IFA in Berlin, and today it was Apple's turn. The company used a launch event in California to unveil its latest two new smartphones, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

The two device's specifications are identical in many areas but there are a couple of important differences, especially for anyone interested in mobile photography. Firstly on the iPhone 6 Plus images can be composed, viewed and edited on a larger screen than on the sister model. It comes with a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1080p full-HD resolution and a user interface that has been optimized for the larger screen. The smaller iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch screen and 1,334 x 750 pixel resolution which, in Apple terminology, makes it a "Retina HD" display. Both screens are protected by what Apple calls "Ion-strengthened glass".

Both phones stick with the 8MP camera resolution dates back to the iPhone 4S and the same 1/3-inch sensor size as on the 5S. Aperture remains the same at F2.2 and, like on the 5S, there is a True Tone dual-LED flash. Autofocus performance has been improved with the addition of a phase detection AF system and Apple claims the AF on the new models is twice as fast as the previous generation.

Other feature highlights: Panorama mode produces images that are up to 43MP, both cameras can record 1080p video at 30 and 60fps and both offer a 240 fps slow-motion mode at a lower resolution. The crucial difference between the two models is the optical image stabilization system on the Plus which is a first on an Apple smartphone. The iPhone 6 has to make do with only digital stabilization.

iPhone 6 color options

iPhone 6 compared to the 6 Plus

The rest of the specification is shared by both new models. Both are powered by the new Apple A8 chipset which offers 25% more power than the A7 predecessor in the iPhone 5S. There is also a new M8 co-processor which is coupled with a barometer and allows for accurate tracking of changes in elevation. NFC is also a new feature on Apple devices. It enables Apple's new Apple Pay wireless payment service. In terms of battery life Apple says the new models will be equal or better than the 5S and will last for up to 14 hours of talk time.

On both new devices the chassis is made of anodized aluminum with a stainless steel Apple logo and more rounded edges than on previous generations. The Apple iPhone 6 will be US$199 for the 16GB model, US$299 for 64GB and a hefty US$399 for the new 128GB version, all with a 2-year contract. The iPhone 6 Plus versions are exactly US$100 more expensive than their iPhone 6 counterparts at equivalent capacities. Pre-orders start on September 12 and the devices are expected to ship on the 19th.

Why on earth did Apple have to infuriate so many existing iPhone users by dumping unwanted U2 music onto them?

Following closely behind the recent iCloud nude celeb photo scandal this "abuse" of iCloud by Apple themselves is going to raise many questions in their customers minds as to how trustworthy iCloud really is!

You are just falling for the current click-baiting trend in news, where everything is a CRISIS, CHAOS, FURIOUS, OUTCRY and so on, to get you to read and comment on something that would never have been a story before the media had to compete with the internet and "social network news".

Twitter and similar are great "sources" for these stories, as even one capture of a tweet from a drunk at 3am can "support" the non-story. We will, in time, become wise to how much we are being manipulated by fake news.

The reality is that the vast majority of iPhone users either listened to or ignored the free gift, but quietly said Thank You, as is appropriate for anyone with some residual concept of manners.

And it was a free gift. Keep your hair on. It was designed to benefit Apple, U2 and iOS users at once.

If this is the greatest tragedy that you experience this week, tune in to the real news and spare a thought for real victims.

I like and use Apple stuff a lot but the U2 thing and the Beats purchase smacks of old heads trying to buy cool. Why buy Beats? Why?! Why give Iovine and Dre all that money?! For what? Colourful plastic? It's not like their streaming service has set the world on fire. Maybe Apple know something we don't about it's potential but I think someone got sweet talked. Linking up with U2 is just odd. Again - why?! It matters not if they keep making decent product but I can't help thinking S.Jobs wouldn't have made those moves.

The key to Apple and why it always had and still has the best products in the market is integration and its ecosystem.Some people own a PC and have an iPhone and a no-brand cheap Tablet...There is no continuity and no wait to merge all those devices.Now, owning a Mac Pro, an iPad Air and an iPhone 5s, everything is familiar and completely integrated.That is why the new OS X is going to be tied to iOS8. It's a brilliant move by Apple that will lure millions of iPhone/PC owners to move to Macs to take full advantage of the ecosystem.I think this is going to put the Mac back in the game. Or at least, it will increase it's PC market share.

Moved to Androids couple years ago because of the largest screen size, what a mistake!!

The last couple years was dreadful using Inferior Samsung and HTC beta-wear. My Samsung s5 and HTC one m7 loaded with bell and whistler but it's not iOS's smart and Apple's showmanship. It feel more like years of using the superior OSX and you were forced to use Windows ME with gun to your head..

look at samsung phones before 2007 and the iPhone. They are copy masters. Everybody is suing them, not just Apple.Their advertising campaign is just based on attacks and mockery of Apple products. It's low and distasteful, not to mention, DESPERATE...I pre-ordered my iPhone Plus, Space Grey with 128GB... Samsung doesn't even have a 64-bit, 128GB phone. Next year, the probably will... Copycats

Android's upcoming L is 64bit. Apple got a head start because people with iPhones play lots of games. Go figure. Thankfully for the developers they won't be forced to re-deploy their apps like Apple had them do. Android will automatically run the majority of apps as 64-bit applications thanks to the way Android’s VM is built.

In terms of a 128gb phone...no need on Samsung. You can add a micro SD Card for far less than Apple is gouging people for as an up-charge to their phones.

I'm a recovering fanboy: once I decided these "debates" were pointless and I'd no longer participate, life got better. Just a little, because beating the drum for a huge corporation that doesn't need my help was not a major part of my life, but better nonetheless.

Here's my advice to all: choose the devices, platforms and software that are right for you, and stop worrying about what other people are choosing. Stop being a shill for your favourite company.

Whether paid or unpaid... both are pathetic, though if I were going to go to online battle for any corporation I'd much rather be paid for my time and trouble.

There are varying levels of HDR. What apple is adopting is mild to moderate. What photographers want is more range to set a mood to a shot. HDR doesn't need to be used for some conditions. Some enthusiasts using their phones want the choice. HDR for every day selphies is doesn't usually work well, if sometimes provides a fake look to things, especially when we do not see what's in front of us the same natural way.

Thought in camera HDR usually captures three shots in quick succession and combines them to form a single HDR JPG?

You can do HDR in a single shot if you the phone camera captures RAW and then creates an overexposed, under exposed and middle exposure shot which is processed to form a single HDR JPG from a single shot. Disadvantage is the image does not have as much HDR latitude and the final image shadow regions recovered tend to have higher digital noise.

I can't wait to experience HDR video. It should be amazingly accurate. Also 1-shot HDR... I don't know how they do it, but I am excited about it. I don't believe the burst mode will be HDR but I don't care as long as I get more dynamic range on a single photo. Can't wait!

My guess would be that single-shot HDR works by using the full dynamic range of the sensor (as would be available in a raw photo) and varying the range of raw levels which is mapped onto the limited range of the jpeg so that different ranges are used in different areas of the image.

The three-image method is a cruder way to do the same thing (with a single raw image the range can be changed continuously, whereas with three images it must be blended from the three sources) but can allow wider latitude than a single shot, obviously.

Basically, the single-shot method would be like shooting raw and then recovering highlights and shadows in processing, but automated.

WRT the protruding lens: Not having one in hand, I can only guess, but my guess would be a ferritic stainless steel that a magnet might stick to. given its precise alignment with the camera module and its cylindrical exterior, one could argue that some intrepid soul will create a lens set to mate with this protrusion, and I would bet that the engineering team made lemonade out of a lemon with that configuration.

I love the design, but to be honest, the camera lens should have been flush. That means the phone will not sit flat on any surface... It will have a little play but it will make it easier to pick up... We'll see next week :)

$500 for the Plus/128 *on contract*? Wow, that's a pretty tough pill to swallow. That makes it, what, about $1000 unlocked/off contract? Whatever you do, don't drop it in the toilet or fall into you pool with it in your pocket.

Some people take quite a few pills every day. When you think about it the new phone could do what an first gen macbook air can do basic specs out of the box. Pretty impressive for a something 1/8th the size.$1000 for it is about right. If you watch the graphics engine presentation from Super Evil Megacorp you'll understand just what I mean.

I got mine on ATT Next 12 Plan. As a customer of 7 years with ATT, they suggested I switch to Next to be able to upgrade to a new iPhone once a year without any penalties or contracts.I chose the Plus 128GB at $949 but will pay 12 installments of $47.50 ($570) plus $9.99 monthly for the Mobile protection plan.The best news is that at the end of the lease, I will trade in the iPhone 6 and get the next model up, whatever name it will be... :)

People, new iPhone looks really similar to Samsung. But remember, that first iphones were the same form. Samsung started selling it's first smartphones only 2,5 years after. Apple was first with such form and exterior design.

Dude, they sold out the iPhone 6 in a matter of hours. Where is the fail? Now, people who were buying crappy Samsungs solely for their screen size will have a nice paper weight. Also the resale value of a phone that changes 20 times a year is crap as well...

But for extended sessions of Full HD recording, I'd much rather prefer the option of memory cards... 128 GB sounds good in theory... but with dozens of apps and the OS itself... that 128 GB is going to shrink considerably...

I have 23,200 photos, 32 videos, 1000 songs, 108 apps and 11GB of documents and other things on my 64GB iPhone 5s and I still have 2GB left.Imagine DOUBLE the storage... 128GB is a s**tload of space... I can't wait

All iPhone 5-s and 6-s have 1.5 um pixels, 8 million of them. Their sensor sizes should be identical. BTW, this explains why the camera module has the exact same depth for all models and why it protudes with the thinner 6 models ...

Yeah, the 6 and 6 Plus have the same sensor size as the 5s (though not the 5, which was a bit smaller). The battery life is also up to 24 hours of talk-time, not 14 hours as stated – not that continuous talk-time is a relevant metric anymore (if it ever was).

I know about the iPhone 5 because it is (and will remain for the foreseeable future) the only modern-era smartphone I’ve bought.

As for where the camera will go next, I suspect Sony will have a say in that. I cannot imagine how things could be significantly improved without making the camera module bigger. There might be a market for that (as there apparently is for large displays), but it hasn’t really been explored yet, Nokia aside.

Even the two-year-old iPhone 5 camera module is pretty much state of the art in terms of quantum efficiency, lens quality, etc., for its size. You could put more pixels on the image sensor but that wouldn’t do much for image quality (given the other limitations) and it would hurt storage, cellular bandwidth, processing speed, battery life, etc.

Faster readout and smarter software seems like a path that would yield better returns in the near future, and indeed Apple has focused on that in the last few iterations.

Which would be physically impossible, knowing how close current senors are to the theoretical maximum for a single exposure.And in that last part, lies the key to Sony's claim. That sensor (for surveillance purposes, not consumer cameras), combines multiple exposures to begin with.

they should hire me for the camera part. Faster autofocus would not make any sense unless it can track the subject for video. As of now, its already fast for normal photos shoot, doubling the AF means nothing.

Some suggestions on Iphone 7 - Swipe-able lens, eg 21 mm -> 35 -> 85 Just swipe the lens behind and u get a diff focal length. 21 would do well not just on landscape but on selfie/group. It has natural slimming distortion.

- Infrared photography - nothing is more mind boggling than providing a simple feature to expand the user's creativity. Infrared is easy to implement on cameras and should be built in

One thing (only one thing!) that I like on Apple phones is, they are physically same ! And many 3rd party producers world wide make harware stuff for iPhones. (tripods, special mic.s durable cases etc.)

BUT NOW there are two different model ! Apple should be brave to take a radical decision.

Either way would be radical; hold on the smaller phone or release a phablet only.

Now they give both... Lets see.

(actually as a Lumia 1520 owner the best size of phablet is 6" !... Anything smaller is phone, anything bigger is a tablet. Only Sony Xperia Ultra is the thin border line of the phablet. But its size only allows the lady customer, who already holds a handbag! Huge for a man without a suit, or any kind of jacket.)

To the Apple Haters and the Shamsuckers, so sorry but it's a given. Just as the iPhone became the template for smartphones, and the iPad became the same for the tablet, the Apple Watch will most likely end up being the product template for the rest of the smartwatch industry to copy. The look and feel, the level of integration, the ability to do so many things, etc. will influence their product design and content. And Shamsung, which in the past couple years have been trying their darndest to predict the next big thing and as usual lose its pants due to a crisis of vision, will have found inspiration in the Apple Watch. And, like with a bad habit, develop a timepiece that's practically a clone of Apple's product. They are probably hours into the meeting right now measuring screen captures of Apple's new toy.

Does anyone really want one of these smart watches? I have multiple iPhones and iPads, laptops, cameras, and I wear a Jawbone UP. These smart watches are redundant feature wise. And, nothing beats a high end, classy timepiece. Give me an Oris, vintage Rolex, Omega, etc. I'd be embarrassed to walk into a room if everyone had the same watch. What's next, the iShoe?

did you even watch the presentation. It's beyond a watch. If you don't like pulling your iPhone out every time it buzzes or makes a sound it's on your wrist giving you the basics so that you don't accidentally drop your $600 phone. It will also allow you to pay for anything you need securely and easily by choosing the pay app and placing your wrist over the payment terminal. It's more than just a watch is a smartphone accessory that abbreviates all the work you would do when you pull out your smart phone. Just watch the video an it will all sync in. LOL

> Give me an Oris, vintage Rolex, Omega, etc. I'd be embarrassed to walk into a room if everyone had the same watch.<

Sarcasm aside, I have no qualm with vintage Rolex lovers. But I'm sure you know, and probably are proud, that you are an extreme minority and many, probably most, of us do not share your passion or embarrassment.

@Sonyalphashooter - yes, I watched the video. How old are you? Do you have a job in the business world? It's already annoying enough when people can't even hold a conversation with you without looking at their phone every 2 minutes...so, now we are all going to be sitting in meeting looking at our watches every few seconds??! Great.

Jeff, don't be too upset. You probably don't care what speaker cables I use in my audio system. I don't either, but some of my friends do, a lot. They talk about cables and interconnects probably like you talk about watches, and they spend thousands on those copper wires. But most ordinary folks will just give them a blank stare. Sometimes, that's the appeal.

Can we control ISO ? With Samsung Note 2, in the tennis court at night (with the court lights on), I was able to get descent shots (forehand, backhand, volley, etc...) by setting up ISO to the highest (which is 800) and lower the exposure compensation ( to minus one stop). This forces the camera to bump up the shutter speed, which is good for sports photography. I am planning to come back to iPhone ( Plus, that is...) I hope that it can control ISO.

No third party app allows iso control at present. They will tell you the iso being used and that is it. iOS 8 will allow iso to be selected next week when it is launched. Only third party apps will have the feature. iOS 8 will also allow shutter speed control and exposure compensation via third party apps.

Hi, Thatcannonguy. I was not taking the pictures for descent prints to hang on the wall. I just wanted some nice pictures for my blog or social networks. Samsung Note 2 and Snapseed app was more than enough. And I found that controlling ISO can be very effective in many situations. I know that there is no way to control ISO in iPhone, until I was using iPhone 4 two years ago. I wanted to know there is any change during the time. Now, thinking of switching back to iPhone, I am afraid whether I am losing too much - another would be battery replacement - which was quite handy when I take hundreds of pictures in a day in travel.

Bigger iPhones? But, didn't Tim Cook two years ago tell us that the 4" iPhone was the "perfect size for one handed use?" Still, the camera looks a bit better, but the deals on the 5s will make it very attractive to first-time users.

Steve Jobs’ insistence that people didn’t want bigger phones was his and Apple’s biggest mistake of the last few years (I realise there were resolution-independence issues to overcome, not that that bothered the Android crowd).

I think Jobs was old-fashioned in this regard. He grew up admiring impossibly miniaturised Sony gadgets and set Apple on the same course. Miniaturisation is indubitably important, but so is display size.

The one-handed use concern is valid, but people don’t always use their phones one-handed. Apple’s Reachability thingamajig seems like a useful addition – and if it proves useless it will have at least allowed Apple an excuse to increase the display size.

These phones will sell fast. The pent-up demand for an iPhone with a big display must be staggeringly huge.

You want the phone that has 100 megapickels. so you can have a 10x digital zoom and still use 10 mega pickels. you need to wait for the iPhone 10. It will be out in 2020. but instead of a lens on the phone it will designed to be integrated with pair of glasses. It will do 8k video and you can stream it directly to Youtube using ULTRA LTE network with 1000 Mbps raw quality.

The sensor size won't matter because it will have the new a12 chip that will allow you to take 400,000 ISO photos with processing out all the noise so that you can takes pictures of bigfoot walking right past you in pitch black darkness and you'll see every hair on this body. (even the ones in his nose). Be careful though, because he might file a lawsuit against you for not having the permission for posting it to flickr where he'll want a cut of the money you get from National Geographic.

Just having some fun with this comment. Hope you had a good laugh and that you have a great sense of humor

On one hand I like how Apple is focusing on improving the sensor and image quality rather than just bumping up the megapixels. However on the other hand I don't think 8 mp is the sweet spot for a fixed lens. If you can't crop in much without distorting the image, which means you'll need to get a lot closer to whatever it is you're taking a picture of to keep the quality high. I think 12-13mp would have been a better choice and make the phone slightly thicker for increased sensor size. Phone thinness is as thin as it ever needs to be IMO. I'm all for weight reduction, but ergonomically I'd rather have something to grip on to that fits the form of my hand. A wafer thin phone isn't that. I'm still excited to see what the image quality will be for the 6+ with OIS. I hope it helps with low light shots. Still, I don't think I'll be switching any time soon from my Samsung K Zoom. With manual controls, 10x optical zoom, and xenon flash, its the best P&S replacement out there right now.

@nerd2; Apple came out with this smart phone concept first. Before Apple, when BlackBerry ruled, all Samsung's had a QWERTY keyboard and some sort of track ball. After Apple, Samsung phones had the "rectangle with round corners" look pioneered by Apple. Samsung doesn't even develop their own software, so really what have they brought new to the world?

Apple made the smartphone, which already existed, really a joy to use. As Henry Ford made the automobile a joy and popular thing to use with his Ford T (far from me the idea of comparing the iPhone to a Ford T). But I can't help to think that since the Ford T, we saw Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Bugattis... But, no denying it, Henri Ford opened that door.

Couldn't the same be said of blind followers? For every hater, there's an Apple fan(atic) that will defend the brand to the death. Canikon, Copepsi, Nididas...some people are compelled to Brand themselves.

Using a phone as a primary photographic instruments is just being lazy. If you are a DSLR/mirrorless user and someone suggested to go use a little P&S, if you value the images you take, you'd ignore the suggestion. So why go and take images with a phone, other than the convenience?

You're treating this as an either/or question instead of a both/and question. Instead of blocking off the possibility of creating images when the pro gear is not at hand, why not enable that possibility?

You said "If you value the images you take..." Well, if you value the practice of image-making, you would be open to taking images in as many situations as possible. In many situations, phone cameras are now better than many of the film cameras we used to use. Along with the SLR that would probably impress you just because it is one, I used to carry a respectable P&S as a second compact body on vacations and put good film in it, but phones blow that away.

Readers of this thread can choose to either believe you...or the thousands of professional photographers that have absolutely no hangups about taking photos with their phones, some even enjoying it when they're not shooting with their pro gear. Instead of thinking either/or, those pros think both pro gear AND phone cameras.

@DerSteppenwolf, no, but I find that a lot of film users have a short memory. Note that I was talking about a good film point-and-shoot, not a film SLR. Now remember that film above ISO 400 was grainy and had terrible dynamic range. My iPhone can outshoot that film P&S in low light, because ISO 800 out of today's phones looks a lot better than ISO 800 color film. Partly because of the sensor, because my iPhone is f/2.4 and my film P&S lens wasn't that fast. Also because film cameras have no noise reduction or stabilization. I have phone apps that will let me control exposure settings on my phone a lot more precisely than on my film P&S. Better burst mode, better long exposure, time lapse, MUCH better white balance digitally...the list goes on...

What planet do you live on ? I carry a nikon d7100 with me every place I go , and use my iphone as well for image making and also test shots to see what the capture might look like .. Because seeing it with your eyes allows for your brain to discieve you ..

@graybalanced There are no apps that will "control exposure" they only brighten or darken final image. No apps will change exposure times in those cases."Now remember that film above ISO 400 was grainy and had terrible dynamic range"You can't be for real ? That is so wrong on so many planes that I will not even bother to correct you but leave you to your ignorance on that one! I just wonder how did all those great low light pics that have been taken for over 100+ years come to life on that pesky "low dynamic range" film ?When it comes to white balance and exposure, what I can see is that you just sucked as a photographer and are praising digital since you can correct all those mistakes in PP. I will give you that.

@DerSteppenwolf I can tell you're very out of touch with both film and digital. There are a number of apps that let you control exposure time, like NightCap. Also, it is known that while film may have better overall dynamic range, digital's range has been shown to extend further into low light. Every cinematographer knows this! As for white balance, if you know film, you know that if your film is not matched to the light (e.g., shooting tungsten with daylight) and you didn't put a color filter on the lens, your colors will be way off and you will have to try and correct it in your color darkroom (you have one, right?). And light sources today are much more diversified than there are film types to match. Remember, we are talking about high ISO, where radical color corrections will make high ISO film look even worse. Digital white balance is simple, accurate, and fast.

Yes, great low light shots were made with film. But most of the handheld ones were not sharp; digital can be.

@Mrrowe8 - I am sure you are not imagining I am using an old, 2007 iPhone, right? I've been using them all since 2007 - Fist gen, 3G, 4, 5 --- at the moment they were released, nowhere near Nokia or Samsung. Is it safe to assume that the 6 plus would be good for 2012, but this is 2014 right?

@ MenneisyysThey refuse because they're still following the rule: "it just works". iPhone 6 has got all the hardware requirements for a RAW - a decent camera module, a decent cpu and a plenty of space in 64gb and 128gb models to store bigger files. But Apple aim at the average and below crowd and they don't want to "complicate" things too much. Such policy might have worked in the past but in 2015 it won't - just like the bigger screen stubbornness.

"But Apple aim at the average and below crowd and they don't want to "complicate" things too much."

I've specifically mentioned API support - to allow for high-complexity, powerful third-party apps. Regrettably, while the manual settings are great (see my dedicated article & the full manual shooter app at http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1743267 ) no RAW support there either.

One detail: The launch event was in Cupertino, which is about 45 miles from San Francisco. Perhaps it's acceptable to conflate the two locations for some audiences, but it would look more credible to make a distinction.

nothing special. just trying to keep up with the competition plus a few bulls**ts in their own mouth again, like NFC wasn't necessary before, but now it's a wow new feature. :) nokia has been implementing NFC for a mere 4 or 5 years now. :D another one: "we don't need bigger displays" :D and the phase detection feature makes me smile. but many people buy as per specs alone...apple was my no. 1 tech company....some time ago. too sad.

Actually, I'm thrilled that Apple has implemented NFC. Not because I have iOS devices, though; I sold my iPhone and gave away my (mostly unused) iPad 3 months ago in favor of an LG G3. Rather, I'm excited that a player with a reason to push NFC has entered the market and will apply pressure (in addition to the need for all CC readers to take chipped cards) to get NFC more places. I can already use my G3 to buy products with NFC via a token and Google Wallet, but if there's just one place that takes CC but not NFC, then I have to take all my CCs with me anyway and its still just a gimmick. I just hope that the Apple NFC rollout goes better than their Passport rollout, because after two years of Passport, I found that it was useful/usable maybe 3 times.

I've run into more software problems (read:limitations) with my year old iPhone than my now >3 year old Galaxy S2. The latter is far easier when it comes to sharing content, streaming 1080p to several different types of TV's, using my personal choice if keyboard (SwiftKey), a camera with true exposure compensation and ISO control, etc. No software issues yet.

Wait wait wait ... they made a bigger iphone and one bigger still!?LOL! one of the main bastions of iPhone fanboys was that its easier to handle!

On the imaging side: Looks like Canikon will be the only ones not having phase detect on their sensors.And don't tell me they don't need it, cause I know you are right but that is only because they didn't innovate sht from LiveView...

pavi1, it's an Internet communicator 1st, computer 2nd, music player 3rd, camera 4th, and a few now care about phone functionality (I don't remember my daughter actually calling anybody recently on her iPhone which was not on Facetime, despite using it constantly like kids do).

all smartphones are classed as communicators. this is a mobile computing device with native connectivity and internet based device. when psion and nokia first made these populars they were the first true smartphones not much different from modern smartphones. the term smartphone only came later. the class of device was called a communicator because it was a TOTAL communications platform.

My take: iPhone 6 is meh. Apple Watch though looks awesome and much more polished than the crude attempts from Samsung and Google etc. Unfortunately, it requires iPhone. Had it been a separate device, I would buy.

has Samsung sold any of these watches? I live in a big city in Asia and here are gadget freaks all around me with the latest smartphones from manufacturers that most Americans haven't even heard about. But I have NEVER seen ANYONE wearing or using a smartwatch...I think Apple did it smart. You don't have to be the "first" like specially Samsung desperately wants to be with all kinda of gadgets and features. You have to make them good, usable and high quality and make people use them!Sorry, Samsung is a hardware manufacturer that can make all the latest tech and market it agressively, but I've yet to see ONE product of them which is though out and runs a good software/OS.

Even at 2ft, background items are blurry on my iPhone 5s. And for closeups I take quick shots of people, business cards, scans, and I like that the AF is quick. I *could* wait for a couple of seconds, but that would get annoying quick.

As for diffraction, it's not just a function DoF. The formula doesn't work out the same for tiny sensors and super short focal lengths. Likewise, it also doesn't work out the same for tiny subjects and super short subject distances.

This is why you can shoot F/30 with a macro lens or diopter and get tack sharp images, but the same lens and F-number at normal distances looks like mush.

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